volkswagen polo was crowned world car of the year today by the new york auto show, beating out the mercedes-benz eclass and the toyota prius. the judges says the polo was one of the classiest small v.w.s ever built. meanwhile, the comeback of the auto industry is taking another industry along for the ride-- advertising. here's ben tracy. >> reporter: from hampsters rocking their new kia, to a major mea culpa from toyota. >> to restore your faith in our company. >> reporter: ...auto ads are once again parked on our tv screens. at this production company in los angeles, that means a boost in business. in the first eight months of last year, they did not produce a single auto ad. since then, they have done 13. >> i live. i ride. >> reporter: they just wrapped a new ad campaign for jeep that employed 120 people. >> there were a lot of people who, you know, literally came up to me at the end of that shoot, and said thank god for jeep. thank god for that job. because i hadn't worked in two months. >> reporter: the recession hit the auto industry hard, and manufacturers slashed their ad budgets. >> whe